Investigation on the relation of the mutations in CHEK2 gene to hepatocellular and colorectal cancers

The cell cycle checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) protein participates in the DNA damage response in many cell types. Therefore to determine the susceptibility to various cancer types it is important to detect mutations in this protein coding gene. Germline mutations in CHEK2 (I157T, IVS2 + 1 G>A and 1100delC) impair serine/threonine kinase activity and these mutations are associated with a range of cancer types. This study aimed to investigate whether CHEK2 I157T, IVS2 + 1 G>A and 1100delC mutations play an important role in the development of hepatocellular and colorectal carcinomas in Turkish population.A total of 210 colorectal cancer cases, 165 hepatocellular cancer cases and 446 healthy controls were investigated for CHEK2 mutations by PCR-RFLP and ARMS-PCR methods. None of the colorectal cancer cases, hepatocellular cancer cases and healthy controls carried the CHEK2 I157T, IVS2 + 1 G>A and 1100delC mutations. In conclusion, our results show that CHEK2 I157T, IVS2 + 1 G>A and 1100delC mutations may be absent or be very infrequent and may not contribute to the predisposition for hepatocellular and colorectal carcinomas in Turkish population. Overall, our data suggest that genotyping of CHEK2 mutations in clinical settings in the Turkish population should not be recommended.